Perfectly Twisted

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"Okay," Asher glanced around and decided to take the spot on the bed beside his sibling. He twiddled his thumbs nervously. He wasn't sure what to say, exactly. With his brother there, if they did confront Darren that is, he wasn't worried about either of them. It was his boyfriend's well being he had to think about, because after everything, he did still care.

"He's controlling, I guess. And has a bad temper." He chewed the inside of his cheek, and took his phone from his pocket as it began to vibrate. "I mean, it's obvious he gets physical sometimes, but he can be nice too. Like right now, he's probably calling to apologize..." His finger hovered over the 'answer' button, though he didn't plan to actually pick up. "And I mean, I'm the one who makes him upset.."

It was always like that. The guy got mad, went off on him, and asked for forgiveness after, often times just trying to turn the blame on Ash.
 
Though he tried, Roland could not help but adopt a slightly infuriated expression as Asher spoke. His rage was not directed at his brother, though – this wasn't him at all. This was Darren. This was what abuse did to people. He had just barely managed, but Roland knew he had found a solution before it was too late. He wasn't going to let his brother go it alone.

"Ash," he said, his voice as firm as the hands now clamped on the younger sibling's shoulders, "I want you think, and I want you to think hard. And when you're done, answer me truthfully. Don't tell me what Darren wants you to think. Tell me what YOU think. I want you to tell me - does he really love you?"
 
Ash could tell his brother wasn't happy about what he heard, but it was too late to go back now. This was for the best, wasn't it? He nearly jumped out of surprise when Roland grasped his shoulders. It took him a minute to relax, but even longer to actually give a decent answer.

"I..I don't know. He says he does. He wouldn't stay with me so long if he didn't, right? I always thought he just had..a different way of showing it."
 
"Ash, there's a difference between playful knocks and outright abuse. I can recognise a one-way relationship from a mile off, even if you can't And I'm not letting you suffer for it."
The urgency on Roland's face was clear - he was desperate for Asher to break it off. He knew it would hurt at first, and if he wasn't careful, in more ways than one. Looking his brother dead in the eyes, he spoke once more. "Tell him it's over. Stand up to him, and show him you're as strong as you want to be. He's depending on you being weak and submissive - and I won't stand for it."
 
The urgency and desperation in his brother's eyes definitely swayed his decision to make it final, if only to put his mind at ease. Not like the other times where he forgave his boyfriend only for it to happen again.

Ash gently grasped Roland's wrists, easing his hands away from his shoulders. "But you'll come with me when I confront him, won't you?" He was worried he couldn't do it alone. If Roland was there, Ash knew he couldn't back out because of fear or Darren's goading.
 
With mock offence put plainly onto his face, Roland pouted at his brother, before speaking.
"What kind of big brother do you take me for? Of course I'll be with you. Cowards tend to bend a little more easily when someone bigger than them's nearby."
Roland briefly hugged Asher, before getting up, keys in hand. "When you're ready, get in the car. We're going to strike while the iron's hot."
 
That earned a soft smile and a chuckle out of the younger as he was pulled into a hug. Only his relief was cut short when Roland stood and grabbed his keys.

"We're going right now?" Asher asked, having thought they would wait until tomorrow and he'd have time to think about it.
 
"That depends on you. I'll wait however long you want - but make sure you're ready when you do it. Actually, come to think of it, it'd probably be best if you went and got some rest."
Looking slightly sheepish, Roland came back in, though neglected to close the door. "Sorry. It's just... I get a little antsy when the people I love are threatened."
 
"In that case, I'd like if we waited until tomorrow at least." He offered a weak smile, scooting back on the bed. Now that he thought about it too, he really could use some sleep.

"That's not a bad thing, y'know. In fact, it's kind of nice you care so much in situations like these..." He trailed off before continuing. "Um, Roland, do you care if I stay in here tonight? I know we aren't little anymore, so I can take the floor..."
 
For a moment, a look of genuine shock flashed onto Roland's face, before he shook his head.
"No way, mate. If you're sleeping in my room, you sleep on my bed. You're not exactly fighting fit, you know. I'm taking the floor."
If Asher knew his brother, he would know that there would be no shaking him. Unless orders from his parents came in, he wouldn't let his little brother sleep on the floor.
 
Asher did know that his brother's word was usually final, but he still didn't feel right about stealing his bed. And thus, he turned his best puppy eyes on the older male.

"But, this is your room, so wouldn't it make more sense for you to take your bed?"
 
Roland was stuck between a rock and a hard place, now. On the one hand, there was no way in Hell that he was letting his little brother sleep on the floor. However, when Asher put on his puppy dog eyes, Roland's defences were pretty much nullified. He adored his little brother as it was - the eyes just cemented this.
"B-but... I... I can't let you sleep on the... Oh, fine, do it. But let me get your mattress, at the very least."
 
Asher knew that he'd won his brother over almost right away. The puppy dog expression was almost the only thing that swayed him. He got to his feet with a triumphant smile, the ducked out the door.

"Do you want me to get the air mattress set up instead? I get that you're big and strong and everything, but a mattress is still kinda heavy just to move for one night."
 
"...You've never slept on an air mattress, have you?"
The sentiment was pretty clear - air mattresses weren't the most comfortable of things to sleep on, much less in Asher's state. Roland shook his head, and stood up. "You're getting the rest you need, and I'm not having you sleep on something a grade above a sack of straw."
 
"Once or twice, I think."

He usually got the sofa or bed if there was one when they went on trips because his brother was adamant about giving him the better option.

Ash sighed after a moment, placing his hands on his hips. "You're more stubborn than a bull, you know? Just scratch my idea, I'll sleep in my room."
 
"...Fine, you can use the air mattress, if you want to. Don't blame me if you wake up with a bad back, though."
Trying to put a humorous spin on the conversation, Roland chuckled, and patted his brother on the shoulder as he went out. "I'm going to put the kettle on. Want me to make you anything while I'm in the kitchen?"
 
"I won't." He chirped, hurrying over to the hall closet and crouching down. When he heard his brother's question, he called over his shoulder, "No, not hungry. But I do want tea!"

Some nice warm tea sounded amazing right then. When he found the box containing the air mattress he scooped it up and headed back into Roland's room to set it up.
 
The sound of water boiling was pretty much the only sound worth noting in the kitchen, with Roland making no other particularly loud noises.
"Bah, we're out of hobnobs..." he grumbled, noting the lack of biscuit to go along with his tea. Some would class such a deed as a criminal offence - and, where tea was concerned, having no biscuits was practically that, to him. Regardless, Roland poured each mug, and put the bags in.
"Ash," he called, "You want to watch a movie? I swear I'm not procrastinating!"
He was definitely procrastinating.
 
Ash was already flopped face down on his little air mattress when he heard his brother shout something about a movie. Honestly, he had little to no desire to get up. Even to get a blanket and pillow.

With a groan he forced himself to his feet before walking out to see Roland in the kitchen. He stifled a yawn. "Depends. What movie? If it's no good I'm going to bed." Ash teased.
 
"It's... er... Well, it's this one."
While it was a well-established fact that Roland loved a good action film, it was also well-known among family and friends that Roland loved cheesy romance movies. And, given the cover, it wasn't hard to see the movie was one of the latter. He adopted a sheepish grin, and shrugged slightly. "Your tea's done, by the way."
 
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